Process for cleaning wool in dry state



Jul 21,1959 A. BOER 2,895,857

PROCESS FOR CLEANING WOOL IN DRYSTATE Filed Oct. 19, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet} IN VEN TOR.

July 21, 1959 v A. BOER 2,895,857

PROCESS FOR CLEANING WOOL IN DRY STATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 19. 1954 INVENTORi M340! BY i W United States Patent PROCESS FOR CLEANING WOOL IN DRY STATE Arpad Boer, Buenos Aires, Argentina, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Bancroft-Brillotex International S.A., Montevideo, Uruguay, a corporation of Uruguay Application October 19, 1954, Serial No. 463,217

6 Claims. (Cl. 134-7) The present invention refers to a process for cleaning wool in dry condition, and more particularly to a system for incorporating detergent powder, which, by the fibre folding process which is a characteristic of this machine, constitutes an improvement of great importance in the modern type of cleansing, offering so many advantages over the classical damp washing.

The method consists in treating the wool with a powder avid of grease, in such a manner that it is able to extract all the grease or wax which may be contained in its fibres after these having been conveniently carded, with the particularity that the incorporation of the powder to the wool is done in a special manner on a bidimensional base, resulting in the powdering by layers.

In this case the wool, after passing through a card, which defibers it in a convenient manner, is carried by means of conveyors to an oscillating folder which, in turn, acts upon another conveyor, in such a manner that at the same time that the material is projected, it is being pleated in plan form into successive layers resulting from the movement of said conveyor. Since the folding apparatus has a receptacle where the detergent power is loaded, as each successive layer is folded, it is powdered individually, resulting in an even distribution on both sides of each layer.

Consequently, when frictioning with rollers or by other means to obtain the removal of grease and other foreign substances, a relatively short cycle is necessary, as the powder is intimately in contact with the fibres during the whole run, owing to the formation of layers. This means that after a short run with friction rollers or other means able to rub the active detergent element into the fibres, the process ends with the extraction of the powder by suction or percussion means, leaving the wool practically in conditions to pass to the textile process, that is to say, that if it is perfectly defibered, a veil may be obtained from it for spinning purposes.

For a greater clearness and comprehension of the object of this invention it has been illustrated with several drawings, showing the machine, as well as the powdering means, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of the folding machine, the oscillating head of which, whilst shaping the material deposits it in length on a conveyor, elfecting the powdering operation at the same time.

Fig. 2 is a view of the machine shown in Fig. 1 clearly demonstrating the manner in which the folds are superposed in zig-zag manner, and finally Fig. 3 is a view of the formation which the material takes after being deposited in zig-zag layers.

In the different drawings the same reference number indicates equal or corresponding parts, the various components being indicated by letters.

As may be seen in the drawings, a is the folder which on a chassis a is joined with the articulation axis 1 on the bearing 2, in the manner shown in Fig. 1. The folder is oscillating according to the control of a conveyor belt 3 which, acting between wheels 4 and 5 is coupled to any power transmitting source.

The conveyor belt 3 possesses a bolt 6 which is in the same track with the swivel 7 of the chassis a; said swivel is of a length equivalent to the diameter of the wheels 4 and 5 so that when chain 3 circulates, the bolt 6 running on a plane and displacing chassis a angularly from the position of full lines to that of dotted lines and vice versa, passes to an immediate plane in order to effect the angular run in an opposed sense, which means that chassis a moves angularly in accordance with the run of bolt 6 in the top and lower section of the chain.

The folder a possesses in its upper part a conveyor belt which, between rollers 9 and 10 circulates in order to deliver the woolen material to the pair of belts 11 which, symmetrically and parallelly circulate from rollers 12 to the lower roller 13. Said belts 11 are set in such a near manner, as shown in Fig. 1 that, when receiving the woolen material 14, they send them in a descending manner to head a". Said head a" has a pair of rollers 15 situated below the pair of belts 11 so that said rollers 15 are those which allow the outlet of the woolen material 14 in order to place same on a conveyor 16 which is in circulating disposition with rollers 17 and 18, apart from possessing sustaining rollers 19.

The head a" apart from the outlet rollers 15, possesses a pair of boxes 20 in which is loaded the detergent powder which is to be strewn on the woolen material 14 when same is deposited on conveyor. These boxes 20 have an outlet in the lower part, where the brushes 21 are also set, regulating the flow of powder for its distribution. The detergent powder may be any suitable or known absorbent material such as that of U.S. Patent No. 1,824,105 or No. 2,194,773.

The belt 8 received the material 14 from the conveyor 22, which may be material placed at the outlet of any opening or defibering card, capable of producing said in continuous form.

Roller 18 of the conveyor 16 is accompanied by another roller 23 which in play with roller 18 acts as a calender in order to press and rub the wool with the powder. Roller 23 has a cleaning brush 24 matching the cleansing brush 25 which, opposite to roller 18, acts on the surface of the conveyor belt 16.

With these means, the process is carried out in the following manner: the woollen material to be cleaned, previously carded, is dirty, and is carried by conveyor 22 to belt 8 of the folder at which oscillates angularly as shown in Fig. 1.

The woollen material 14 runs between the pair of belts 11 in descendant manner so as to emerge through rollers 15 of the head a".

Since the folder at oscillates angularly, whilst the conveyor 16 circulates in the direction indicated by the arrows, the material 14, when deposited on conveyor 16 takes a plan shape in zig-zag, but in 'layers owing to the advance movement produced by conveyor 16, as graphically shown in Fig. 3.

As at the same time the powder deposited in boxes 20 is strewn, regulated by brushes 21, a powdering is ob tained on the pleated layers of the material 14, so that, evenly distributed, the powder is incorporated to the wool; thus, when passing through the rubbing rollers, the friction of the powder with the wool is obtained in order to extract the grease or Wax which is absorbed by said powder which is avid of grease.

This means that the folded wool is prepared with the incorporation of the detergent powder in such a manner that, by posterior friction, it may be easily treated through the action of said powder in a friction contact.

Undoubtedly when carrying out this invention, modification may be introduced in what refers to certain details of construction and form of the device described, without this implying a departure from the fundamental principles which are clearly specified in the following claims.

I claim:

a 1. A process for cleaning carded wool in the dry state which comprises forming a length of such wool into a. succession of overlapping zig-zag folds, discharging a grease-avid detergent powder on to the folds as they are formed, subjecting the folded-wool and powder to frictional contact until the detergent powder has absorbed the grease from the wool, and then removing the detergent powder with its absorbed grease from the wool to leave the wool in cleaned condition.

,2. A process according to claim 1, in which the folds are produced by passing the length of wool in a downward direction while subjecting the same to oscillatory movement, and depositing it on a moving conveyor belt.

3. A process according to claim 2, in which the detergent powder is discharged on to the wool as it is being folded at the end of its downward, oscillatory movement.

4. A process according to claim 2, in which the frictional contact of the detergent powder with the wool is effected at the end of the movement of the folded wool on the moving conveyor belt on which it has been deposited.

5. A process for dry cleaning carded wool which comprises forming a belt-shaped fleece of such wool, moving this fleece downward and simultaneously oscillating it angularly, depositing this fleece on a flat conveyor so that in each angular displacement there is formed on said conveyor a zig-zag fold of the fleece, causing said eonveyor to advance so that the zigzag folds of said fleece are deposited in stepped formation, dusting said wool fleece with detergent powder as it is being folded in stepped zig-zag formation so that the powder is applied on both sides of the folds which are formed, and rubbing the wool with the powder so that the latter absorbs the grease and leaves the treated fibers clean.

6. A process for dry cleaning carded wool which comprises forming a belt-shaped fleece of such wool, moving this fleece downward and at the same time oscillating it angularly pendulum-fashion, depositing said fleece on a flat conveyor so that in each angular displacement there is formed on said conveyor a zig-zag fold of the fleece, causing said conveyor to advance at a lower velocity than the alternate angular movement of the fleece so that the zigzag folds of said fleece are deposited in stepped formation, dusting by means of the mechanical action of a brush detergent powder on said wool fleece on both sides thereof so that the powder is applied in all the folds which are formed, and rubbing the wool with the powder so that the latter absorbs the grease and leaves the treated fibers clean.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,111,445 Dunton Sept. 22, 1914 1,832,823 Van Arsdale Nov. 17, 1931 2,218,062 Yates Oct. 15, 1940 2,601,862 Thomson July 1, 1952 

1. A PROCESS FOR CLEANING CARDED WOOL IN THE DRY STATE WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A LENGTH OF SUCH WOOL INTO A SUCCESSION OF OVERLAPPING ZIG-ZAG FOLDS, DISCHARGING A GREASE-AVID DETERGENT POWDER HAS ABSORBED FORMED SUBJECTING THE FOLDED WOOL AND POWDER TO FRICCONTANT UNTIL THE DETERGENT POWDER HAS ABSORBED THE GREASE FROM THE WOOL AND THEN REMOVING THE DETERGENT GENT POWDER WITH ITS ABSORBED GREASE FROM THE WOOL TO TO LEAVE THE WOOL IN CLEANED CONDITION. 